The Queen of Rock and Roll lives

“This is a rock and roll show, man, c’mon!” Janis Joplin shouts from the stage, and the audience jumps up – clapping and singing along like it’s 1968 at the Winterland Ballroom.

This is One Night with Janis Joplin, a concert/musical conceived by Randy Johnson with the help of Janis’ living siblings: Michael and Laura, now running at the Milwaukee Rep. The Quadracci Powerhouse Theater was virtually packed Monday night with those who grew up on the music of Janis. Several ladies dressed the part, with feather boas in their hair, circular granny glasses and lots of jewelry, just like Janis. The stage was filled with tapestries and over 35 small lamps, glowing warm orange hues against the bottles of Southern Comfort, Janis’ favorite.

Janis Joplin, born in small-town Texas in 1943, got her big break as the lead vocalist of Big Brother and the Holding Company, the band her manager Chet Helms recruited her to join. Big Brother first made a name for themselves after a historic performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967, and Janis went solo a few years after, moving away from that hard, psych-rock sound and traveling into a folk-blues, R&B realm. While she passed away on Oct. 4, 1970, at the age of 27, her last album Pearl was released posthumously, and became a critical success that cemented her reputation as one of the greatest rock artists of her era.

In this production, Janis – played by an elegant Mary Bridget Davies – is finally able to open up to the audience to tell them who she is and how she got here. The show is part rock concert, part intimate conversation with the Queen of Rock herself talking about her influences, her hopes, and, most importantly, her music.

Davies effortlessly recreates Janis onstage and she sang the part like she was born for it. Her movements and stage presence were so similar to Janis’, captured on film, it was almost eerie. It was like we were seeing Janis live in concert.

The show opened with “Combination of the Two” and quickly went into Etta James’ “Tell Mama,” two of Janis’ most recognizable recordings. She immediately started talking about her influences, smiling that Janis smile. “The blues is a bad woman feeling good.”

The format of the show works wonderfully. Davies is accompanied on stage by the Blues Singer (Sabrina Elayne Carten), a combination of Bessie Smith, Etta James, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin. A Janis alter ego, of sorts. As songs begin, Carten starts the tune with her soulful voice, before Davies chimes in with her interpretation of the classic.

In one wonderful example, Carten graced the stage in the persona of folk artist Odetta. Carten began her song – classic gospel tune “Down On Me” – very slowly and very dramatically. That instantly changed when Janis took the stage with her band, turning that tune into a uptempo blues/rock piece while psychedelic images of Haight/Ashbury flashed by in the background.

Both the Blues Singer and Janis were joined by a girl group, the Joplinaires, throughout the show, showing Janis’ influence from the girl groups of the 1950s like the Chantels. “They sang about the blues and didn’t even know it,” Janis explained.

Another big influence: Janis’ mother, Dorothy Joplin. Davies-as-Janis relayed tales of her mother’s vocal coaching, and the family habit of singing Broadway showtunes nonstop around the house – a habit that led to Janis’ love of “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, one of her greatest hits.

The production covers a great deal of Janis’ life, but aside from one particular phrase that caught my ear – the potentially multi-meaning “Now I’m real committed. I’m deep into this.” – it stays away from any reference to her drug use. It was a refreshing move. Enough biographers and Joplin recreations have focused on the negatives of her life, and this production offers a positive tribute that preserves her legacy and celebrates her life and accomplishments.

Not omitted: any of Janis’ most famous tricks. “Another Piece of My Heart” drove the audience wild, sparking an immediate standing ovation at the sound of that signature screaming high note, executed with no hesitation by Davies. “Ball and Chain” had enough theatrics to make you wonder if Davies was Janis Joplin reincarnated. By the time she got to her closer, the unrecorded “I’m Gonna Rock My Way to Heaven,” you were sure of it.

One Night with Janis runs now through June 2 at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater (108 E. Wells Street). Tickets begin at $25 and can be purchased at www.milwaukeerep.com or by calling 414/224-9490.